Is there a good wristwatch forum...or maybe you can help?

I'm looking at buying a new wristwatch. But there are so many brands that I can't see straight.

I'm looking to spend $200-$300 for an "everyday" watch. I have dress watches, a stop watch, and a Swiss dive watch.

It seems that some have Swiss parts, making a Swiss movement and are Swiss made; some have Swiss parts for a Japanese movement; and some have Japanese parts for a Japanese movement. I'm not sure what it all means. Are there big differences between Seiko, Citizen, and Bulova? How's Skagen (which is what I usually wear now)? I have a Seiko outlet near me that has some really good prices, so that's a plus.

Where can I go to get help from people who won't tell me to save up until I have $4000 for a Rolex?

well....I collect watches. I own quite a few...mostly Japanese with a couple of Swiss...had my East German Rulha on last night...it has zero...thats none...jewels, and dang that thing keeps great time. Most of mine are older... the oldest I can date is 1935-ish...an old Seiko that still works great, I just have to remember to wind it every couple of hours. I l;ove ole watches...must have close to 40 or 50 now...Seikos, Citizens...even the old Orients can be very good. There are a LOT of fanatical watch collectors in Japan and they pay big money for certain models...I own a Seiko Business Bell...there are a lot of Bell Matics, but very few Business Bells that I`ve seen...no need for a travel alarm when I bring it on a trip.
The two Swiss I have are Rolex...no, wait...no gold or diamonds on it...just stainless steel...but I like my Breitling better...great watch...I`m sure it`s gonna outlast me by a long time.
I have a couple of 1950s Bulova automatics too...really cool, and keep time very very well. Most were purchased on the Japanese web and I got to know a local watchmaker and he`s given me some nice deals on a few. Collecting watches is almost as addictive as collecting guitars.

my two cents: my girlfriend gave me a self-winding Seiko a few years back and it's my favorite work/dress watch now. Why? Because it's nice-looking, keeps perfect time, and you never ever have to replace the batteries -- doesn't have any. It's a little big / thick but that doesn't bother me. The only real problem is that if I don't wear it for a couple of days (about two and a half) it winds down & I have to reset it.

Of course, you can now buy a self-winding watch-winder, sits on your dresser & rotates your self-winding watch so it winds itself. I love this country.

I have a Citizen 'Eco Drive' watch. The face doubles as a soler panel so it never needs batteries. The one I have is a very robust model, just time and date. Although Citizen do hundreds of models. I would recommend an 'Eco Drive' watch. I wanted a watch that would last so I did a lot of research. http://www.citizenwatch.com/

I'm about 5 minutes from the Seiko outlet as I type this. I'm going to see what they have; otherwise, I found several watches on overstock.com that I like. One's an ESQ chronograph with either a white or grey face, there's 2 Wegner chronographs, and the front runner is an Accutron chronograph. It's one of the only ones I've found that is Swiss made with a sapphire crystal that's in my price range. I also like a Seiko 5 automatic, but it's $150...not $50 like 6942's.

I can't say how many times I've asked various watch/jewelry store sales people to explain the difference between popular brands at different prices (e.g. Pulsar, Fossil, Seiko, Citizen, etc.) and only one has been able to be remotely helpful. So I really do appreciate all your suggestions.

Got two new Seiko 5's for $50 each from a Seiko dealer (w/warranty) on e-bay.
Check the listings on e-bay CAREFULLY.
If the seller is selling watches new, WITHOUT warranty, it's probably GRAY MARKET (best to avoid).
There are other automatic watches that are of decent quality.
Citizen makes a nice automatic watch, on par with the Seiko 5, for the same price.
Orient (Japan) also makes good automatic watches....and are less expensive than Citizen or Seiko.